Valentin Debise

Just a few days after the end of the first International Road Racing Teams Association privateer teams test at Valencia, the WTR San Marino Team returned to testing; this time in the rain at Jerez.

The first day, Saturday, was characterized by strong rain, which made it impossible to enter the track until 2pm, when, fortunately, the rain let up.  Both 125cc rider Johann Zarco and Moto2’s Valentin Debise gave the best of themselves, with Zarco finishing 2nd with a time of 1′57.479 – just 8 tenths off the pace -  and Valentin Vazquez finishing with the sixth-best time of 1′57.92; less than two seconds behind the Moto2 class leader, Alex De Angelis.

During the day Sunday, bursts of rain disturbed almost every session, forcing teams to withdraw almost every hour. The track remained wet and did not help either rider, who both posted their best times during the morning sessions. Debise finished 18th with a time of 1′46.821, and Zarco finished 11th with a fastest time of 1′50 .795.  Zarco also crashed twice during the day; once in the morning and once during the afternoon session.

Rain continued into Monday, and rather than risk injury to its riders and damage to its machines, the WTR San Marino Team called an end to their testing. IRTA testing continues at Jerez from March 27-29.

Johann Zarco
“These tests were a bit unstable, ruined by [lack of] time and by the heavy rain which fell. We could not try everything we wanted, but at least we managed to test a new engine, on which my mechanics have worked hard all winter and was really going strong.  We were therefore very happy about it. Saturday we rode until the afternoon because the morning was impossible for the wet track. I felt very good and the bike felt good. In fact, I finished in second place – positive for me and for the team.
Sunday we rode in both wet and dry conditions, but I didn’t feel as good as on the bike as I did at Valencia and I had no confidence. I should have stopped in to make more adjustments, but I kept racing, knowing that I had some problems, but it was a mistake because they continued, and I fell and ended my day. Throughout the evening the mechanics worked hard to fix the bike and to recover the lost time, but the weather wanted something else
I wanted to thank the mechanics for the work that they did on the bike and thank them for their efforts.
They are real fans and push me to always do better. I’m really happy because the bike is competitive and I have competent mechanics. I just have to relax and focus on my riding to catch up. ”

Valentin Debise
“Jerez is a circuit that is very different than Valencia, and we had to change the setup of the bike because it was all new to us. In Valencia there were only tight corners, whereas here they are very wide: so it was very, very different. Now I think we can be ready for the next test, here at Jerez later this month. “

“A country as dependent on tourism as is the Republic of San Marino can gain important benefits from large, international sporting events like [the MotoGP Championship],” said San Marino Secretary of Tourism and Sport, Fabio Berardi.  The Most Serene Republic of San Marino (its official name) Office of State for Tourism held a press conference to announce the small country’s continuing partnership with WTR that will see its teams contest MogoGP’s 125cc and Moto2 classes

Now in its seventh consecutive season, the WTR San Marino Team will be managed by Loris Castellucci. Frenchman Johan Zarco – the 2007 MotoGP Red Bull Rookies Cup champion – will pilot the team’s 125 Aprilia, as he did last year when he finished in 20^th position as a class rookie.  Fellow countryman Valentin Debise makes his move from the 250 CIP Honda team to lead WTR San Marino’s Moto2 charge.

FTR MOTO is producing a limited edition of 10 distinctive Moto2 Grand Prix machines with a full World Supersport specification Honda CBR600RR motor and in the colors of Ron Haslam’s innovative 500cc Grand Prix Elf Honda.

The FTR Elf project will offer the ultimate track day machine and is being launched to celebrate FTR Moto’s inaugural year in World Championship competition with its M210 Moto2 GP machine.

The machine will use a Honda World Supersport specification motor – prepared by Chris Mehew who worked alongside Haslam with the Elf project in the 1986-88 World Championship years. Mehew also prepares the engines for World Supersport Championship star Eugene Laverty.

The rolling chassis will be FTR’s 2010 World Championship M210, featuring the latest Brembo brakes, OZ MotoGP wheels, GP specification front and rear suspension and Dunlop racing slick tires.

Each recipient will enjoy three track days, tuition and set-up assistance with Grand Prix favorite Haslam and will also receive a Spidi bespoke replica Haslam/Elf Honda GP Kangaroo Pro leather suit plus boots and gloves from Spidi and a Ron Haslam replica of the latest Arai Quantum helmet.

The machines will be prepared at FTR Moto’s Buckingham base and will be presented to the 10 customers at a formal presentation evening, dinner and celebration with Ron Haslam.

“The feedback from our M209 development Moto2 machine has been incredible and so many people have enquired about a track day version of the machine,” said FTR director Steve Bones. “We considered a range of options and, as Ron Haslam was synonymous with Elf Honda and the Elf project, we thought it appropriate to recognize and appreciate a golden era of 500cc GP racing.”

Haslam took the Elf Honda to a best finish of fourth place, in the 1987 500cc Grand Prix World Championship with podium finishes that year in Spain and Germany.

The machine has already attracted interest worldwide and will be available within eight to 10 weeks. The price and further details are available from Steve or Mark at FTR Moto on: 01280 815800.

Bones added: “Obviously we are creating a collector’s item with only 10 in the world and we hope the machine offers our clients the maximum track experience and exhilaration. And, this is a rare opportunity to own an existing Grand Prix specification machine, this limited edition M210 will be the same specification as Alex Debon will use in the 2010 World Championship.”

Each customer will also receive a range of limited edition mementoes specific to the Ron Haslam and Elf Honda era and FTR Moto brand to complement this unique project.

For further information regarding FTR Moto2 machinery contact Mark Taylor; tel: +44 (0) 1280 815800; e-mail: mark@ftrmoto.com.

FTR Moto will supply machinery to the Motor Sport 69 Team of Spanish rider Alex Debon for his campaign in the inaugural Moto2 World Championship in 2010. After concluding negotiations with Buckingham-based FTR Moto yesterday, Debon announced he will race the M210 machine from FTR in the 17-round series, which gets under way in Qatar on April 11

“We’re extremely happy for Alex to be racing our machine in 2010,” said FTR director Steve Bones. “He has proven himself both as a racer and a development rider in recent years, and his experience will be invaluable in ensuring the FTR M210 remains at the head of the field in the new Moto2 World Championship.”

The relationship between FTR and the Motor Sport 69 Team will also rekindle the technical relationship between FTR and former KTM Grand Prix engineer Xavier Soldevila who will work as Debon’s crew chief and development engineer during 2010.

Perennial 250 rider Alex Debon will make his Moto2 debut on an FTR Moto machine in 2010

Debon, who took a career-best finish of fourth place in the 250cc World Championship in 2008, winning the French and German Grands Prix, said: “I am delighted to have reached an agreement with FTR and also to carry out the development of the FTR machine under the supervision of Xavi Soldevila.

“We also have great sponsors in Aeroport de Castello and the engineer’s school of Monlau Competition. Together we intend to fight for the World Championship and develop a winning machine as I did with the RSA in the 250cc class.”

Debon will test the FTR M210 for the first time at Jerez in Spain at the end of January.

Roger Hayden has seen his share of difficulties in the past two seasons but hopes to put that behind him in World Superbikes

Roger Lee, youngest of the Hayden racing family has signed a deal to ride for Pedercini Kawasaki in the World Superbike series.  Roger has raced for the Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki squad in the former incarnation of the AMA supersport class and won that class’s championship in 2007 as well as finishing 10th at Laguna Seca as a wild card with the Kawasaki MotoGP team.  In 2009, he competed in the newly formed Daytona Sportbike class and finished 10th in points after missing the first three rounds of the season. Prior to today’s announcement, Hayden was linked to a Moto2 ride with JiR.

News release from Pedercini Kawasaki:

Pedercini Kawasaki is delighted to announce that American Roger Lee Hayden will join the team to compete in the 2010 Superbike World Championship.

The 26-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky, USA has spent much of his career on Kawasaki machinery and in 2009 he participated in the Daytona Sportbike 600cc category in the Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki team. Hayden’s career began in 2004 in the AMA Supersport championship and the year after he was named AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year. In AMA Supersport he was able to win 13 races.

Regarding Pedercini Kawasaki’s second rider, the team is carrying out negotiations with several competitive riders, in order to have a strong team to be able to run at the front.

Roger Lee Hayden declared: “I am really happy to be participating in the World Superbike Championship next year with the Pedercini Team. It has always been my goal to race in a World Championship Series, and now I have the opportunity. It’s a big difference from what I did last year, but I’m ready and looking forward to taking that next step. I have experience on the Kawasaki Superbike, so that does not make everything completely new. It should be fun learning and racing at the new circuits and of course we have a home round in Salt Lake at Miller Motorsports Park. My first test will be at Portimao towards the end of January and I can’t wait to get back on a bike again!”

Team manager Lucio Pedercini added: “We’re very happy with our signing of Roger. He is a young rider and we hope to realize his full potential and guide him through his debut as we strongly believe that Hayden will put us in a good position to compete in the next Superbike World Championship. He has been competitive on Kawasaki machinery in the USA, he knows the Kawasaki ZX 10R and we want to continue developing his career within Kawasaki. We understand that Roger may need some time to adapt himself to our team, the new circuits and to such a difficult and competitive championship as World Superbike, but we are sure about his talent, motivation and determination.”

FTR MOTO ended the 2009 testing and development program of its Moto2 World Championship prototype with a two-day test at the Almeria Circuit in Spain this week that finished with Czech Republic Grand Prix rider Karel Abraham confirming the machine’s potential.

Abraham improved from a best lap of 1m 40.5s on Monday to a 1m 39.0s best on Tuesday, leaving the promising 19-year-old excited at the prospect of racing the FTR M210 challenger in next year’s inaugural Moto2 Grand Prix championship.

The FTR Moto2 machine has shown some promising potential throughout 09 testing

The Almeria test was attended by a total of five prospective Moto2 chassis suppliers and FTR director Steve Bones believes the two months since the M209 first took to the track at Catalunya have been crucial in developing the 2010 racer into a series contender.

“From the Joe Darcey Team and Graeme Gowland’s exceptional performances in the final two Spanish Championship rounds to the superb feedback from GP riders like Talmasci, Simon and Abraham in recent tests we have improved the machine and learned so much for 2010.” said Bones.

He continued: “Karel was impressive at Almeria. His best lap on Tuesday came after a lot of hard work by him and his chief technician and he ended up being the fastest rider by more than one second. We’ll now get to work on the final 2010 plans and conclude the on-going negotiations with teams interested in racing the M210 in the World and Spanish Championships and other events that we’ve received inquiries about.”

FTR is currently in negotiations with a total of six Grand Prix teams and five Spanish Championship teams with a view to FTR Moto being the chosen constructor for those teams.

Today’s Motourage Video of the Day is an ass-cam ride-along with Russian racer Vladimir Leonov as he tests the Suter Racing Moto2 machine at Almeria.

In his second season in the MotoGP support class, Leonov will make the move to Suter Racing for the first season of the new Moto2 series following a 24^th-place season last year with Viessmann Kiefer Racing Aprilia in the 250 class.

Team Blusens by Queroseno Racing

Team Owner: Raul Romero
Team Manager: Ricard Jove
Chief Technicians: Josep Oliva and David Thomas
Rider: Dani Rivas

The BQR Moto2 project began at the end of the 2006 racing season. The Würth/BQR Honda 250 team had just finished a 15^th-place 250cc season with current AMA Team Hammer rider – and Motourage favorite – Mártin Cárdenas. Team owner Raul Romero and then-manager Kino Contreras began development of a four-stroke MotoGP engine. Both Romero and Contreras understood that the days of the 250cc two-stroke class were numbered; however, they entered into their new experiment with little insight into the future of the GP support class.  BQR, which had been mating its chassis with 250cc Honda engines for several seasons, came on board at the beginning of the project, and its two technicians – David Thomas and Josep Olivia – have been instrumental in its coordination.

In February, BQR became the first team to unveil a Moto2 machine

BQR had originally planned to enter the MotoGP World Championship in 2011; however, the early announcement of the Moto2 class and significant successes in testing allowed the team to unveil the first Moto2 bike back in February and field a Moto2 prototype at the 2009 CEV Buckler Spanish Road Racing Championship.  In November and December, Julián Simón and Mike Di Meglio tested in Valencia onboard a machine loaned to Team Aspar by BQR. The teammates consistently lapped at the top of the sheets for those riders onboard true Moto2 machines (Ant West lapped on rebadged Stiggy Honda CBR600 Supersport bike).  No official word yet, but there are rumors circulating that Aspar may decide to run BQR-supplied chasses due to the pullout of Aprilia from Moto2.

If you’d like a quick listen of how the new Moto2 bikes will sound, here’s a short clip of the BQR Moto2 bike in action at Jerez.

FTR MOTO will continue its research in readiness for the 2010 Moto2 World Championship with further tests of the M209 prototype machine at the Valencia circuit in Spain tomorrow, Friday Dec. 11.

As interest in the FTR machine increases, riders from three more Grand Prix teams will put the M209 through its paces around the 2.951-mile circuit.

During Friday’s action the last three 125cc World Champions – Julian Simon (2009), Mike di Meglio (2008) and Gabor Talmasci (2007) – will all test the machine with a view to challenging for the 2010 World Championship aboard the FTR M210 racer.

Graeme Gowland rode the M209 to an impressive finish at the Spanish Championships at Jerez earlier this year

“Friday will be a good gauge as to how far we have come with the project,” said FTR director Steve Bones. “And by tomorrow evening a total of seven teams will have tested the M209 with a view to using our next generation machine in the 2010 World Championship.  What we have now is very much a prototype and has been built primarily for research and development purposes. At present we have around 30 improvements – some major and some minor – in progress for next year’s race machine.”

Cardion AB Grand Prix rider Karel Abraham tested the FTR machine at Valencia on Thursday and was impressed with the performance. Bones added: “Karel really enjoyed the test and wants to test again tomorrow. He did well to adapt to the four-stroke motor and the engine braking and improved throughout his time on the machine.”

Testing is expected to continue with the FTR M209 at Valencia and at the Almeria circuit throughout next week.

FTR MOTO has begun work on the M210 race machine after a successful end of year series of tests and races with its prototype M209 Moto2 machine.

The 2010 machine has already attracted the attention of the Grand Prix paddock and the CEV Spanish Championship paddock as both series introduce the exciting class from next year.

Following a link-up with the Joe Darcey Team in recent Spanish Championship races and a succession of test sessions, FTR Moto believes its M210 race machine will be ready to challenge for honours when the respective 2010 campaigns begin in four months.

“The testing and racing in Spain has been invaluable,” said FTR director Steve Bones. “We’re really pleased that experienced riders such as Jeremy McWilliams and current World Championship riders such as Scott Redding and Eugene Laverty have been able to test our M209 prototype and assist with the progress and direction for the M210.”

Bones continued: “And we can’t underestimate the value of the work by the Joe Darcey Team and their rider Graeme Gowland. Graeme’s performance in the final two Spanish rounds put the machine on the pace and gave it a really good workout. His lap times and his second place were very impressive and we will now produce a 2010 race machine that will eat into those lap times.”

The FTR focus is now aimed at fine tuning the innovate frame and aerodynamics package for the M210 race machine and, having tested with different brands of suspension, ensuring the machine continues to be customer-friendly.

Bones concluded: “We’re especially happy with the immediate feedback from the riders during the tests and from Graeme in the races. We’re now confident the FTR M210 will be a match for anything.”

The FTR machine is also featured in a trailer on YouTube with footage from the recent Albacete test in Spain. The footage link is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPui3om4A_c.